Absolute
by CMinuteByMinute
Summary: Kuroko begins to drift away. Kagami is confused, Kiyoshi is curious, and Kise doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, are you okay?"

The bedsprings creak as Taiga rolls to his other side and let his eyes stay on the figure beneath the blankets.

Kuroko looks up at his partner from where he's lying on a spare futon on the floor, face the same as always except for the sunburns. "We have been running in the sand all day, but I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Ah, yeah. Good." Taiga nods awkwardly and turns over to lie on his stomach. That hadn't been what he was going for but whatever.

"Goodnight, Kagami-kun. I have set the alarm for 6."

Taiga groans into his pillow and mutters angrily as he shifts on his bed.

"If Kagami-kun is late again, Coach said she will triple your weight training."

"Don't remind me, damn it. Coach is the devil, I tell you."

Kuroko has nothing to say to that because in all honesty, their Coach's training regimes switches between exhausting and deadly. And she always makes sure her threats are carried out if her rules are broken.

"Really though, are you okay? I mean, you've been kind of..." Taiga pauses to search for the right word because _distant _makes him sound like a whiny girlfriend. He quickly decides _screw it _because Taiga is a failure with words, and Kuroko is cool enough for him to say weird shit. "... distant."

"I've just been tired. I have to take care of Number Two and keep up with practice." Taiga's face twitches at the mention of the furry beast. "But thank you for noticing."

It's one of the things about Kuroko that Taiga doesn't know how to deal with. The occasional thing Kuroko'll just spew out like it's whatever, and it makes Taiga wonder if Kuroko does it because he enjoys watching other people struggle to find an answer, or because he's never had people who cared much if he said those things. It wouldn't surprise Taiga. His memories of the Generation of Miracle players often makes him look at Kuroko and wonder how it must've been at Teiko.

"Your thinking is very loud, Kagami-kun. You need your sleep." What the...?

"Sorry. 'Night."

"Goodnight, Kagami-kun."

The feeling that something is off with Kuroko stays with Taiga for the rest of the team's training camp, and it doesn't go away when they're back at their own gym.

"Kagami-kun."

Taiga finishes tying his shoelace and turns to see Kiyoshi walking towards him.

"Yeah?"

Kiyoshi glances to his right where Koganei is talking to (himself) Mitobe and Kuroko, then back at Taiga. "Do you know if there's anything wrong with Kuroko? It's not that Kuroko's play has been worse, if anything it's gotten better, but there's just something..."

Taiga knows what Kiyoshi is getting at. Taiga still depends on Kuroko to be there when he passes a ball just as the rest of the guys do and Kuroko's passes are the same. Still there was something... but Taiga has no idea what. Only now he knows there's _something_, if Kiyoshi also has noticed.

"Nothing I know of," Taiga vaguely replies. "But you know he doesn't like to talk about personal stuff."

"I know. I guess I'd hoped you'd know since you're best friends."

"We're not girls, senpai. We don't meet up and talk about feelings." Taiga can't help but feel as if he has to defend himself, even if he knows his senpai doesn't mean it as a jab against Taiga's friendship with Kuroko.

"That wasn't what I meant, Kagami-kun," Kiyoshi smiles briefly before he looks serious again. "Even if I haven' known him for that long, I still fell he's changed."

Taiga gives a grunt of agreement and stands up. "It started after the game against Touou. I just thought, you know, it was because we lost to that Aomine guy. Guess it wasn't that after all..."

"Ah." Kiyoshi purses his lips thoughtfully and looks over at Kuroko. Taiga sees Kuroko staring back at them, and he instantly feels as if he's been caught talking trash.

"Well, if Kuroko wants our help, he knows he only has to ask for it." There the guy goes, smiling like an idiot again, and it irritates Taiga because everyone and their grandmother knows bad things follow that smile.

Taiga doesn't respond and gets back to training. He can feel Kuroko watching him for the rest of the day.

Yet another practice ends with Coach looking like a cat with a bird in its mouth and the Seirin players barely able to stand on their feet. Well, most of them anyway.

"Oi, Kuroko," Taiga catches the attention of Kuroko when they're on their way home. "Let's meet up at noon at the court tomorrow."

"Sorry, Kagami-kun, but I already have plans this weekend."

"How 'bout tonight, then? I wanna try out something cool." Taiga tries again because damn it, Kuroko isn't getting out of this one.

"I can't. I have to pack and catch my train."

"Huh? You're going somewhere?"

"Kyoto. Just for the weekend, though."

"Uh, yeah, sure, that's cool."

"I'll see you on Monday, Kagami-kun."  
"Yeah, bye," Taiga calls after Kuroko but he's already well on his way down the left path. Taiga stares at Kuroko's back walking away. He feels as if there's something off but it can't be that bad. It's not like Kuroko is becoming depressed or anything... is it? Damn, he Taiga didn't join the Seirin team to be a freaking shrink. Kuroko can handle himself just fine.

Taiga comes home and dumps his bags on the floor and hits the shower because no matter how nice it would be, he doesn't smell like flowers when he's been running around a gym all day. Taiga wonders who Kuroko is going to visit. Not to sound like a douchebag – even if he honestly did - but Kuroko doesn't seem to have friends outside of basketball. And they always play on weekends. It's their thing. But hey, Taiga has family on another continent. It's not strange that Kuroko has family in another region.

* * *

A/N: I tried a different writing style this time around. It's weird not adding adjectives and frilly metaphors here, there and everywhere, but I think this turned out all right.

Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon.


	2. Exposition

Taiga shoots another basket and watches with satisfaction as the ball goes through the net with a swishing sound. He picks up the ball and dribbles around, avoiding and outrunning his imaginary opponent. That Aomine Daiki bastard. Taiga has to beat him, and he's going to wipe that superior expression of Aomine's face at the Winter Cup. The only one who can beat me is me. Fucking bullshit. Taiga's going to make him eat those words, and he's going to do that by kicking Aomine's sorry ass all over court.

Taiga slams in the basketball with a dunk and hangs on to the hoop for a few seconds before falling down. He's tired, gross and sweaty but it's all good. It means he's getting better. He thinks of what Alex has told him. He needs every bit of advantage, every second of training and improving he can scrape together if he's going to beat Aomine.

He's going back to Japan tomorrow – today? - and he should probably be sleeping. Screw sleeping. He can do that when he's dead. Or on the place, preferably. Dying before becoming the best in Japan would suck real fucking bad after the spectacle he's been making of himself. He can't shoot hoops on the plane.  
Honestly, he can't sleep. It's nerves, maybe. Kind of. But not because he's nervous per se.

He knows he's gotten stronger (and a few bruises richer, which were Alex' entire fault, by the way, because even Taiga knows better than to insult some street punks' mothers and dick sizes after said punks have just lost a game), and his left hand has gotten better at both handling and shooting. He can pull it off. He's just... curious? About Kuroko. Which is fucking okay because they're partners, and if Kuroko's all up his own personal troubles and can't play, well then that's the end of Seirin's tournament.

Everyone knows that.

Point is, that Kyoto trip doesn't seem to have done Kuroko much good, and even if he spends a great deal of more time around the team and with Taiga playing ball after practice, Kuroko is still closed off. The way he was at the beginning of the year.

Kuroko's being a secretive little shit and it's bothering the hell out of Taiga. Like when he starts talking about shadows and light and metaphorical stuff Taiga doesn't really get. Mysterious or whatever you call it. That's actually a bad example because with all the shadow and light talk, at the very least Taiga knows what Kuroko's getting at.

Whatever. What matters is that's something's up with the kid, and Taiga is a pretty bad partner for not knowing what it is.

Taiga has two goals for his return: crushing the Aomine bastard and figuring out what the hell that's going on with Kuroko.

He might also have a sub-goal of clearing out all of the burgers from his favourite place, but that makes him seem like a douche... so sub-goal it is. A man's gotta keep his priorities straight.

He jumps and makes another shot. The ball soars and bounces off the inside of the hoop before it goes through the net.

Seirin's well on their way to the Winter Cup, and even if they don't beat Kuroko's old team mate Midorima (who's still an arrogant asshat in Taiga's opinion), they still advance to the Winter Cup. The team huddles up in an empty locker room afterwards and Coach says some things, which Taiga doesn't really pay attention to. He'll forget it in a few minutes if it's not important anyway, and if it's important, one of the guys will remind him. Thus, according to awesome Kagami Taiga Logic, he daydream of tasty burgers and turn Coach's words to background noise and still sleep like a-  
Where did the background noise go?

Taiga returns to reality just in time to see Coach leaving the locker room and the guys split up to change. Koganei claps Taiga's shoulder and says, "Don't worry, I'll text you the meeting place and time."

"Huh? Yeah, awesome. Thanks, senpai." So she'd been talking about their schedule. Bo-ring.

"Nicely played, Kagami-kun," a deep voice says, and Taiga knows it's Kiyoshi without looking. Still, he turns around and Kiyoshi gives Taiga what's probably meant to be a meaningful look and nods his head in Kuroko's direction. Taiga scowls at his senpai. He may not be some Hawking or Hawkins or what's-his-face smart dude, but he's not oblivious.

So he walks over to Kuroko and gives him a smile when Kuroko looks up, "Good game, Kuroko."

"You too, Kagami-kun."

"So..."

"What?"

"That Aomine," Kuroko doesn't change his expression but Taiga still notices how Kuroko's shoulders go tense. "You ready to take him down?"

Is that a smile Taiga can see? Maybe? A little bit? "Yes, Kagami-kun."

They bump fists.

"Oi, you guys ready to go?" Hyuuga calls and Taiga turns to see the other guys ready to go. He sighs and grabs his back. Can't a guy lounge around for a few minutes, jeez.

"I need to make a phone call, but I'll be out in a minute, senpai."

He what?

"Sure, just don't take too long, Kuroko, or Coach will kill us."

"Of course, senpai."

"Kagami, come on."

"Uh, yeah sure," Taiga glances back at Kuroko before he leaves. They walk through the stadium halls and because nothing in Taiga's life is allowed to be easy, the Seirin team runs into Kasamatsu and Kise from Kaijou. Quite literally.

Taiga hears some commotion, a curse and looks to his right just in time to see a blond in a basketball jersey being kicked in his direction.

Now normally, Taiga would've kept whoever it was from biting the dust but the impulse is stopped in the millisecond it takes for Taiga to realize it's Kise Ryouta himself. Taiga moves to the side and Kise makes an A-class faceplant onto the floor with a loud smack.

"Senpai, why are you so mean to me?" the undignified heap of blue, white and yellow whines. Taiga can't honestly say he's surprised when Kaijou's captain follows and turns Kise over with his foot.

"Stop pausing every five seconds to give your stupid autograph, moron!"

"But senpai, my fans came all the way to-"

"No one asked them to! You're a basketball player when you're wearing that jersey, not a model."

"It's not my fault... oh hi, Kagamicchi."

"Hey." Taiga glances between the furious guy next to him and the smiling idiot next to his feet. Why, why does he always end up in these situations?

"Get up, you idiot," Kasamatsu growls and Kise scrambles and gives Taiga an embarrassed look, obviously fake but whatever, it's one of those things you just learn to ignore.

"Oh, Seirin, hey," Kasamatsu says to the Seirin players who are all staring.

"Kasamatsu-san, good to see you," Kiyoshi smiles, bright as a kid in a candy store.

"Yeah, uh, you too."

"Kagami, we'll be at the bus stop. Can you go get Kuroko and meet us there?" Hyuuga glances at the Kaijou players, looking like he's somewhere between annoyed and uncomfortable.

"Sure, I'll go-" Taiga doesn't have time to say anything else because Kise gets up and decides Taiga's a human chandelier, and hangs off him like they're a pair of girls. Kise should be grateful he doesn't get a taste of the floor a second time.

"So Kagamicchi, what have you been up to lately?"

"Lay off," Taiga removes his arm. "Whaddaya want?"

"Eh, don't day you're going to be mean like Kasamatsu-senpai, too," Taiga doesn't respond to whines, and Kise gets the picture, thankfully. It's pretty fucking annoying how he's all over the place. "So, I was wondering if you've talked to our Kurokocchi lately."

Taiga stares. "Why?"

"Nothing, nothing really. He hasn't been acting strange or anything?"

"Why?" Taiga repeats without thinking. Then he realizes just what Kise's actually asking. "Actually... he has. A bit."

"Ah," Kise sighs and loses his flamboyant front. "I suppose it makes sense."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did he tell you why he hated basketball back then?" Kise doesn't to say what then he's talking about, Taiga already knows.

"Yeah?"

"You Seirin have gotten stronger since the beginning of the year. A lot, really, especially you, Kagamicchi. You see?"

"See what?"

"He's scared," Kise says it like it's the most obvious thing. Whatever, subtle isn't Taiga's thing, he's excused. "That you're going to become so strong you're going to leave him behind."

"Like you did, you mean," Taiga spits back at Kise. There's no way he's going to leave his partner. If Kise thinks Taiga's just gonna leave Kuroko for himself, he's a god damned idiot, even more than what Taiga already thinks he is.

"You're going see a lot of players from Teiko in the Winter Cup."

"We're stronger now, worry about yourself." Douchebag.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that... Kurokocchi's going to be playing against one he was close to when we were at Teiko, and he's seemed down when I've talked to him, so..."

"Since when do you guys talk?"

"Wah, so mean," Kise pouts and it looks fucking ridiculous on someone older than three. And Kise is much older than three. "We were close at Teiko, you know? I suppose I'm just a bit worried for him, that's all. I'm not sure how it will be for Kurokocchi to see him again."

"Whatever. Kuroko's gotten a lot stronger since we played Aomine."

"Kagamicchi, that wasn't who I was talking about..."

Taiga blinks, because he honestly has no idea who it could be. Calling some other guy your light is about as close as two dudes can get in his opinion. "Then who are you talking about?"

"Kise, are you done?" Taiga can see the Kaijou captain getting irritated but Taiga ignores him.

"Aominecchi and Kurokocchi were best friends-"

"But you just said it wasn't him!" Taiga has no idea what's going on in Kise's head on a regular basis but this is weird, even for Kise. "Why are you even telling me this?" Kise looks at Taiga in a funny way and stays silent.

"What, you constipated or something? You can't say stuff like that and then stop."

"Ah, it doesn't really matter. Don't mind me, Kagamicchi, just... take care of Kurokocchi, yeah?"

"Enough taking, let's go," Kasamatsu grabs Kise and begins to pull him away. Taiga opens and closes his mouth.

"Yeah, sorry about this idiot, I'll take him back to his cage now," Kasamatsu calls over his shoulder and then Taiga's left by himself.

Ah, right. He is supposed to get Kuroko. The kid's probably still in the locker room so Taiga drags his feet down the hall. Even if Kise is weird ass hell, Taiga tries to make sense of everything. It doesn't go very well. Nothing makes sense, Taiga decides; Kise Ryouta only exists to say weird ass things.

But still, Kise seems like he knows something Taiga doesn't. Obviously, you moron, Taiga tells himself and frowns. He makes it to the locker room and opens the door just in time to hear Kuroko end his phone call.

"... at the Tournament," Kuroko startles when Taiga opens the door, but it's the expression on his face which startles Taiga, because it honestly looks like Kuroko just got caught jacking off by his mom, embarrassed, annoyed and shocked all at the same time. Kuroko looks away from Taiga. "I have to go. We will. Goodbye." Kuroko ends his phone call and grabs his bag like normal. "I'm sorry it took so long, Kagami-kun, let's get back to the others quickly, or Coach is going to scold us."

"Sure."

Taiga doesn't say anything else. But he wonders. And when Kuroko's face closes off again when they exit the locker room, he begins to worry.

A/N: I try to edit as much as I can but some typos always elude me. Sorry in advance! FF messes up my layout (is anyone else experiencing this?)


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